Exposure to solar UV radiation in outdoor construction workers using personal dosimetry.
Occupational exposure
Outdoor workers
Personal dosimeter
Solar UV radiation
Journal
Environmental research
ISSN: 1096-0953
Titre abrégé: Environ Res
Pays: Netherlands
ID NLM: 0147621
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
02 2020
02 2020
Historique:
received:
19
05
2019
revised:
06
11
2019
accepted:
26
11
2019
pubmed:
7
12
2019
medline:
5
9
2020
entrez:
7
12
2019
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Occupational exposure to solar UV radiation (SUVR), a Group 1 carcinogen according to the IARC classification is at high exposure levels in outdoor construction workers, usually above the suggested occupational limits. Furthermore, there are no regulations related to this exposure in the EU, except for the artificial UVR. Also, the use of the ICNIRP exposure guideline in an outdoor setting poses problems of adequate dose assessment. In this context, the main purpose of the study was to perform direct measurements of the SUVR dose in outdoor workers from the construction sector, using individual SUVR dosimeters (GENESIS-UV system), for a period of 7 months, from April to October, in a prospective, observational study in two groups of 10 outdoor workers in Romania, located at two different geographic sites. In term of cumulative standard erythema dose (SED), our study population of outdoor construction workers received high levels of solar UV radiation, ranging from 165 SED to 453 SED during 7 months of occupational activity, from April to October. Our results, ranging from 1.28 SED (standard erythema dose) per day to 6.4 SED per day pose an alarm signal to the national and European health authorities to take preventive action for outdoor workers, as the ICNIRP suggested limit value of 1.33 SED for mean daily erythemal UV exposure is vastly exceeded. We suggest that personal dosimetry for SUVR, from simple devices to complex systems as GENESIS-UV should be regularly and mandatory used in outdoor workers, similarly to the usage of personal dosimetry in occupational exposure to ionizing radiations, which could be included in European and national legislation to reduce both, the level of exposure and the detrimental effects on outdoor workers' health.
Identifiants
pubmed: 31806287
pii: S0013-9351(19)30764-9
doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2019.108967
pii:
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
108967Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
Declaration of competing interest All authors declare no financial conflict of interest.